The last few months have seen us celebrating a number of festivals and this month is no exception as we will be celebrating yet one more, Easter. Falling at the end of March, this is one of the most holy and ancient Christian festivals. Following the Lenten fast is the traditional custom of exchanging eggs, so KL hotel confectioners will be producing chocolate eggs and a supporting menagerie of chocolate animals. Even hot cross buns will be available. There are few countries in Southeast Asia where you can so easily buy such Easter fare. It just indicates so visibly the breadth and range of customs that can be experienced in Malaysia. Looking at the calendar of Malaysiaís public holidays, it becomes evident that this is a unique environment where many cultures and religions are tolerated and respected. The always industrious Events Planning Team, being acutely aware of this, has arranged a "One on One with Religion." This will be an excellent opportunity to learn about Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism and to comprehend the tenets, practices, ceremonies and rituals of these major religions. The programme will fall on the last Monday of each month and is scheduled until the end of the year, so mark your diaries now. The starting point is Hinduism; the MCG will be given a talk by the Assistant Director of the Temple of Fine Arts, Shankar Kandasamy. The MCG is very fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and noted speaker to introduce us to such a rich and complex subject matter. Also this month Events Planning initiates an occasional series of visits to artistís studios. In March MCG will visit the studio of the well-known artist Victor Chin famous for his portrayal of shophouses, but now his artistic brief has a much wider scope. Come and find out more from the artist himself. Other events cover a wide geographical area from: "Living in Malaysia" with Nicoline Lopez, to understanding the issues of social development in Myanmar and Cambodia with the monthly lecture presented by the United Nations Office for Project Services. To conclude the month, MCG is invited to travel the Silk Road, an invitation that is going to be hard to resist. For many of you the first person that you meet or spoke to from the MCG was the Membership Secretary Iolanda Capodanno. First impressions really do count and Iolanda answered numerous enquiries, with enviable speed and diligence that inspired many people to join the Group. Iolanda enthusiastically welcomed newcomers, ensured that members received their newsletters and their personal badges, as well as completing many behind the scenes tasks. After holding the position of Membership Secretary for a year, Iolanda is now moving on to pursue a career in publishing. Thank you Iolanda for the energy and dedication that you have given the Group it has been very much appreciated, and we all wish you Good Luck! with your new venture. Happy Easter Diana Cooper
BITS AND PIECES NISHAíS MUNG BEAN SPROUTS For those of you who have been promised this recipe and those that had their first taste at the Newcomers Coffee Morning in January, here finally, is how you too can whip up a taste sensation! Ingredients
Method Boil the mung beans until cooked ,about 10 min.,throw out water.
Serve warm with coriander leaves as a garnish and/or a squeeze of lime juice on it before serving. Variations Chopped potatoes could be added. Any sprouted bean could also be added
? eg ? chick peas.
LOOKING FOR A NEW
The committee has an immediate vacancy for the position of Membership
Secretary as Iolanda has taken up full time employment. The job entails:
If youíre interested please give our president Diana Cooper a call and she will be happy to answer any questions to help you make up your mind. Diana: email: ganesha97@hotmail.com SPECIAL EDITION OF ART CORRIDOR
ëArt Corridor Salutes Li Zijianí is the name of the publication, with which I have just fallen in love. Not only does the book have a wonderful collection of Li Zijianís beautiful paintings, it also gives the history of this man who was born in China and brought up in the time of the "Cultural Revolution". From being an odd-job/manual labourer struggling to help the family whilst his father was imprisoned for ten years, he has become an artist of international acclaim. This is a true rags-to-riches story of someone who managed to not only survive but to thrive, and in the process has produced paintings of such beauty they are spellbinding. His art has been exhibited twice in Kuala Lumpur. If we are fortunate
enough to have him return once more I shall be first in the queue, because
what this book shows is truly remarkable. One can only imagine what
magic is woven when all this is seen in a gallery. If you enjoy looking
at beautiful artwork then you will feast on the contents of this book.
If a ëthing of beauty is a joy forever" then this book must be many joys for a very long time. Jan Thornton
MCG member Corrin Pitluck wanted to let members know about
a film club that may be of interest to you.
It's called Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia. There is full information on
the Kakiseni web site, but in short it is a group that screens independent
films from all over the world on almost a weekly basis. They have
an annual membership fee of RM60 (and then films are free to members),
and screenings are held at the HELP Institute in Pusat Bandar Damansara.
The club has been around for awhile, but had equipment problems for a few
months just recently. They are up and running again, but have had quite
a drop in membership. I hope to help them by getting the word out!
THE PLAYERS are presenting
A comedy written by Sue Townsend
Proceeds to charitable causes
ARAB WOMENíS ASSOCIATION KUALA LUMPUR Madame Sanaa Attallah, wife of his Excellency the
MONT KIARA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL CHARITY LUNCHEON-FASHION SHOW & BAZAAR Eastin Hotel, Friday, 22 March, 10.30 am Tickets available from the 4th of March at
WOMEN OF MALAYSIA
NONI TAIB Talented people are always fascinating. Like peeling back the skin of an onion, they show so many different layers and yet often remain an enigma. Noni Taib is one of MCGís newest members and fits perfectly into the picture just described. Born into a prominent Malay family, Noni has always possessed an adventurous streak and set off independently into the wide world at a youthful age. Her travels took her to fascinating cities and exciting venues. She met interesting people and had experiences, which ultimately have been assimilated into her original persona and make her the strong willed, clear spoken individual she is today. She returned to live in Malaysia with her husband and young son about eight years ago and less than three years ago she took up painting. As a small child she learnt ballet, tap-dancing, flower arrangement and jazz and was taught to paint by a Chinese teacher until she was about ten years old, but after that time she concentrated more on the piano and violin. Her youthful ambition was to become a lawyer but she was discouraged from that avenue by her father. He thought that her strengths lay more in a musical direction and tried to tempt her by telling her that as a beautiful female pianist she would attract lots of men to her side! When she won a music scholarship to Trinity College in London, she saw this as an opportunity to taste freedom away from parental influence, and eagerly pursued that end. During her time in UK she travelled frequently to Europe for holidays, and met her first husband in Paris where she began to work as a translator. In Paris, many of her friends were artists and though at this time Noni was an appreciator of art, she had not tried to apply her ideas to canvas. Among the artists who have influenced her (apart from the French) she numbers friends of many different nationalities, including Japanese, Iranian/American, and Thai. Noni is a restless individual who cannot sit and do nothing. Whenever life presents her with a ëgapí she will find something to fill it, like the time that she decided to study gemmology in Thailand while attending Design School, learning how to design jewellery. The modern jewellery that she made was sold by her ëjust for the fun of doing ití. That part of her life has unfortunately been left behind. At present her passion is her painting and as one interest gets her attention, others are put into the archives of her memory. Her rebirth as an artist began when she enrolled her son in art classes
and became bored with doing nothing while the class was in progress.
Realising that adult art classes happened at the same time, she decided
to join and became engrossed. After only three months her teacher
told her that there was nothing more they could teach her and she should
go away and paint for herself. Noni was somewhat unsure, but did
leave and over some time painted many things. She eventually took
her work back to the teacher who decided it was good enough to stage an
exhibition of her work. Despite this Noni was still not convinced
that her work was really good until the Kraf Kompleks invited her to exhibit
and strangers started
Noni utilises many different styles of painting, and so it is hard to categorise her as a painter. She explains that the finished article depends on the mood she is in when she takes up a paintbrush and looks at a blank canvas. She reads many art books, and considers many different styles but says no one painter influences her more than any other. What is seen on canvas is what Noni herself feels at the time. Some of her paintings include shadowy, ill-defined figures, which are as hard to categorise as Noni herself. Is this figure a manóa woman? Are these people happyósad? Are they involved ? are they strangers? Noni says she paints about her life ? her past as well as her present. Her paintings present themselves as stories to be ëreadí differently by different people but like the painter herself, remain a fascinating mystery for the individual to solve. Jan Thornton
REPORTS FROM PREVIOUS EVENTS WORKSHOP WITH THE ORANG ASLI What a memorable day! Thursday, 22 November was hastily declared a Public Holiday in mourning for the recent passing away of the King. Nineteen members gathered outside Crustacea Restaurant in half the normal travelling time, due to empty roads. Armed with a clear set of directions and our red ribbons, a convoy of five cars headed up the Plus Highway for our scheduled meeting with Mary Maguire, our coordinator/guide, helped by Heather, our translator/interpreter for the day. The journey went smoothly apart from finding two public toilets padlocked due to the Public Holiday! On arrival at the Orang Asli kampung, we were lucky to be greeted by all the children who had an unexpected day off school. I personally felt the warmth of the welcome, as we set eyes on the children, men, women and elders. I couldnít help feeling that Maryís obvious rapport with the Orang Asli, built over several years filming with them to produce her excellent video film "Guardians of the Forest", had paved our way. Mary guided us to Indah Merkolís house, where we met Indahís brother Utat and the rest of the family and close neighbours. It was a communal style of living with one large room for entertaining with family photos of Indahís younger sister, Minah, singing in PJ and pop posters together with colourful sheets of wrapping paper adorning the simple wooden walls. The kitchen is in an idyllic location right next to the river. Here was natureís playground, within a few steps from their back door the children were free to swim, splash and play within close watch of their elders. We were immediately put at our ease with a very warm welcome, since our hosts were eager to share their lifestyle with us ? complete strangers from all four corners of the world. Tea and coffee were served and Diana produced some welcome cookies. Mary and Heather assisted ably answering our many questions, as we made friends with the Temuan tribe of the Orang Asli. They are hunter/gatherers of the forest and they had already gathered local leaves, bamboo and herbs to prepare our lunch. Several members squatted on the woven floor mat alongside the women to watch and help with the food preparation. Fish paste was being pounded with a pestle and mortar, bamboo was cut to be filled with rice, a man was grating coconut using a twig which he rotated inside the cut coconut shell, whilst squatting on a tree trunk alongside the river chatting to his friends. What a contrast to fast food! Babies, toddlers and children were all present keenly watching and learning new skills of handling knives, food preparation and cooking. Most members ventured uphill to explore the new settlement created by the Government due to the building of the new Sungai Selangor Dam, whilst a few of us lingered behind by the riverside enjoying the peace and tranquillity rarely found in todayís hectic lifestyle. A delicious lunch was set before us consisting of chicken, lemang (sticky rice) cooked in bamboo over wooden fire, tapioca leaves, a wonderful dish of vegetables, all collected locally except for the chicken legs collected by Mary at her local market on her way. A young girl washed up our dishes in the river, and we couldnít help feel envious of her situation. Now it was time for the women and young girls to demonstrate their weaving skills, deftly manipulating large sharp knives. Mary explained to us how she was initially horrified when she saw some of the young ones brandishing such sharp objects, but she quickly realized that it is how the young ones learnt, by experience! Some of us persevered; weaving with three leaves is simple, but using four takes some practice. There was much hilarity on the Orang Asliís faces as we tried to copy their birds, flowers, krises and headbands. However, patience is a virtue and with their assistance, most of us returned home with some masterpieces. We met Antares, a writer and musician. A modern, articulate Orang Asli man, who was eager to meet us and share his knowledge of the Orang Asli magic, myths and Pagan worship. Then we were treated to music and songs and dance by the women and one man playing healing songs on bamboo poles cut at various lengths. It was a wonderful end to a perfect day. Many MCG members forged new friendships and, for me, my overriding memory was experiencing the warmth and hospitality of these irreplaceable hunter/gatherers who for just one day gave us a unique glimpse into their lives lived in close harmony with nature. Since the trip I have joined the MCG library and would wholeheartedly recommend Mary Maguireís video film "Guardians of the Forest" and Colin Nicholasí book "The Orang Asli and the Contest for Resources". Judi Halhead
HARI RAYA OPEN HOUSE LUNCH On 14 January 2002 our member Azizah Mohd Noor invited 40 of us to join
her at her home for a wonderful feast to celebrate the end of Ramadan,
with most of us wearing Malay dress.
Azizah went to a great deal of trouble to obtain all the traditional foods served at Hari Raya open houses. The unanimous favourite was Azizahís mothers Beef Rendang, a dry shredded beef curry which had been cooked for 6 hours! We had rice cooked with tomato, glutinous rice wrapped in daun palas in a triangular fashion (ketupat pulut) and glutinous rice cut in round slices (nasi lemang) and rice cakes (ketupat nasi). We had korma chicken, rendang Tok, chilli prawns in addition to the
rendang, accompanied by vegetables in the form of dalcha curry, mixed vegetables
and pickled fruits ( acar buah)
We certainly celebrated Hari Raya in the traditional manner and in grand style! Thank you Azizah! Suzanne Davey
THE HISTORY OF MALAY DRESS After the Hari Raya Lunch in January, MCG members had yet another chance
to dress in traditional Malay clothes for the talk by Puan Azah Aziz. Puan
Azah confessed to being passionate about Malay clothing and textiles and
hoped that her forthcoming book The History of Malay Dress would be sufficiently
well-received to merit translation into English.
The sarung has a panel known as the kepala (head), the badan (body) and the tepi (border). These three areas have very different patterns which however are all in harmony. One of the main patterns for the kepala is the pucuk rebung (bamboo shoots) which are depicted as rows of triangles with points meeting with borders either side. Awan larat (meandering clouds) often feature and awan is sometimes used to denote pattern in general. Old Malay literature describes Malay dress in terms of kain (cloth) batik or kain songket and although experts have attempted to describe patterns in terms of relationship to God, place in the universe or bands dividing rice fields there is no real evidence to justify their ideas. The kepala is usually worn at the back, right side for sultan, centre back for royalty and left for ordinary people so it is sometimes considered to denote position in Malay society; however women may wear the kepala at the front especially with the kebaya. With the baju kurong or baju bela (split front) it is usually worn at the back. Using Nancy as a model, Puan Azah showed us how to wear the sarungópleating it and bringing folds forward to the left front and securing it with a tali perut (stomach string!), belt or buckle - it looked very easy ! Traditionally three brooches (kerongsang) were used to secure the kebaya, a larger ibu (mother) at the top and two smaller round anak (child). Then strings of beads are worn of which the longest must fall below the third brooch. Rebecca then modelled a sarung worn casually as a dress, knotted over the bust with the kepala at the back. Puan Azah illustrated her talk not only with beautiful examples of textiles but with wonderful phrases such as that used when someone has lost everything for example in a fire, ëeverything but se helai se pinggang (the piece round the waist) ie only a sarungë. The edge of a sarung (tepi kain) is usually a few threads of white fabric and the phrase ëminding the edge of the sarungí implies that a person checking if it is dirty is a busybody! In addition to the batik sarungs, Puan Azah had brought a selection of ikat, songket , woven checked silk and various baju for us to see and feel. The kain baju (tunic cloth) is very much secondary to that of the sarung but traditionally was not of matching fabric. In Johor for instance a white baju was worn. The matching baju kurong is recent as is the manís short sarung which leaves little room for the badan and Puah Azah feels it disrupts the harmony of the sarung. Ikat is a Malay word meaning to tie and beautiful single ikat fabrics
were created by tying the weft threads originally with fibres from banana
tree trunks and dyeing these threads with plant dies from fruits, roots
and flowers. A wide variety of colours are found and there are over 30
names for the colour red!. Amazing ikat designs are created without
written patterns. Traditional patterns such as scattered 8-petal flowers
(bunga), swirling water, rolling waves (ombak menggalung), and the
swastika are found in ikats and also in songket designs using gold
threads. These are usually woven by women in Malaysia.
Enthusiastic MCG members then chatted over Nonya refreshments to round
off a very informative morning.
Jill Thistlethwaite
EGYPTIAN GALORE ? 24 JANUARY It was certainly one of the most pleasant events to usher in the New Yearócreativity abounding, good company and lots of delectable and unforgettable Egyptian tastes! We are fortunate to have amongst our members a very creative jewellery designer in the form of Ebtissam El Ashiry. We were invited by Ebtissam to her lovely home, and were quickly enchanted by the large and significant collection of original and handmade jewellery, which she had displayed. It was obvious that Ebtissam had so much passion for her art, carefully explaining to us the various designs of jewellery and how they were made, mainly in silver and enamel with semi precious stones. Her interest started some 30 years ago and does not seem to dissipate with time, in spite of her moving from one location to another. She sources her materials from all over the world and there are no two same designs. She even showed us her tools, which included a mini kiln! A short demonstration followed, which left some of us in awe, what appeared rather exotic and complicated, could be easily produced by Ebtissamís skillful hands! As part of her efforts to raise funds for her charity of choice, a raffle was held, and the winner, one of our MCG members, went away with a beautiful necklace, much to the envy of the others. A mini charity bazaar gave an opportunity to those interested in Egyptian items to purchase, thereby contributing to a good cause. There were nice scarves, long Egyptian type kaftans, blouses and rugs, and wonderful hibiscus tea. And typical of any MCG event, the delicious food carefully and arduously served and prepared by Ebtissam won praises by those present. Egypt must be a land where there is no shortage of exotic food, and, naming only a few, foods served included kofta (minced meat sausages cooked with herbs), mahshy (stuffed peppers and eggplants), roz bikhalta (rice cooked with raisins and nuts), romi (roasted turkey, a very famous dish during important festivals in Egypt) and a range of desserts, kakh (pastry with nuts) and baskot bi agwa (pastry with dates). MCG made a small contribution to the charity chosen by Ebtissam in appreciation of her kind efforts, and we hope that we will get more such invitations in the future. Thanks again Ebtissam! Azizah Moh. Noor
A MUSICAL DIALOGUE WITH SAIDAH RASTAM Twenty of us were very privileged to hear of Saidahís transition from a successful Banking Litigation lawyer to a music composer of renown. Once the decision to make the leap had been made, the road to success was long and hard. It took knocking on several doors before Michael Verrapen, in 1996, offered her the opportunity to learn on the job. 2 years were spent doing commercials, documentaries and most importantly learning to use the computer to make music. In 1998 Saidah set out on her own, and has never looked back since. She has collaborated with the Australian Song Company, The Japan Foundation and is currently doing work for the Singapore Arts Festival. Unfortunately in Malaysia there is very little opportunity for her to showcase her talents. Today she is mainly interested in textural music as opposed to just melody. We heard a few of her early works as well as some of the newer textural ones. Unfortunately Saidah has never been formally recorded and some of the wonderful sounds we heard are not available on CD. It was hard not to be impressed; the one thing I personally learnt
was that itís very important to follow your dream. A wonderful interactive
morning spent with a very talented woman.
Nisha Dobberstein
CHINESE NEW YEAR On the 05 February, 2002, almost 70 members enjoyed a celebratory lunch to welcome in the Year of the Horse at the Old China Café in Chinatown. Many of us were wearing that luckiest of Chinese colours, red, and many had on a Chinese inspired outfit. We had been warned not to wear the mourning colours of white and black. Angie Ng did a wonderful job explaining to us some of the symbolism
behind the rituals surrounding Chinese New Year and how the food eaten
at this time is chosen not for its taste but for its meaning.
Fresh flowers are very important because they denote life. The 4 favourites are Plum blossom (symbolising courage and hope because it blossoms at the end of winter from seemingly lifeless branches), Orchids ( symbolising love, beauty and fragrance), Chrysanthemums (symbolising longevity) and Bamboo (symbolising strength of character). Melon seeds and lotus seeds symbolise fertility, and lotus roots symbolise the family possibly far apart but remaining connected. Beans and Chinese lettuce ( Sang Choy) represent longevity. Pineapple symbolises good luck because in Cantonese its name sounds like "luck comes". Raw fish, " Yee Sang" comes from the two words "sang" which means alive, and "yee" which means abundance, and so is doubly lucky. Our meal started with the traditional tossing of our Yee Sang salad as high as possible for the best of luck, and it continued with many of the other auspicious symbolic foods so hopefully we have all got off to a great start for the New Year! Suzanne Davey
THE MALAYSIAN MONARCHY On 6th February, 2002, Prof. Dato Khoo Kay Kim spoke to us about the
way the Malay monarchy has evolved in each state, commencing with
the Melaka Sultanate which was founded in 1400.
He described the initial appointment in Malaka of high dignitaries to certain jobs- the Bendahara ( jurisdiction over those holding office), the Temenggong (jurisdiction over crime and its investigation), the Syahbandah ( jurisdiction over trade including foreign merchants and shipping vessels) and the Penghulu Bendahari who was in charge of ceremonies and all servants and clerks of the Raja. However other states , while preserving the Melaka-Johor tradition of appointing high dignitaries, each determined their function quite independently and in a pragmatic way to suit the times. However the hierarchy remained, and in the peninsular Malay sultanates, except Negeri Sembilan, all authority derived from the Yang di-Pertuan. We were also interested to hear that there is no such thing as automatic succession to the throne in the election of Malay rulers. The new ruler is named just before the funeral of his predecessor, but this may be the brother, nephew or even son-in-law of the monarch. So that if the daughter of the monarch marries a commoner, the commoner may accede to the throne, bringing fresh blood to the royal family. However this loose system of accession enabled the British to subtly manipulate who was in power. Nowadays there is rotation of the King (yang DiPertuan Agong) between the states depending on seniority and those who have not served yet. As there are 3 remaining young rulers from Terengganu, Perlis and Kelantan amongst the Sultans (Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, PerakSelangor and Terengganu) and Raja ( Perlis) and Yang DiPertuan Besar (Negeri Sembilan), the electing Council, who has the ultimate say in who is elected, has made a new rule saying that a ruler may have a second term if necessary. Prof. Dato Khoo Kay Kim feels that most Malays are sentimental about
their monarchy, so that it will remain for the foreseeable future. Those
who wish to learn more about the history of the Malay monarchy will find
Professorís collection of essays published under the title "Malay Society,
Transformation & Democratisation"( published Pelanduk-1st printing
1991, 3rd printing 2001) most informative.
Suzanne Davey
MCG NEWS BOOK CLUB NEWS Hello Fellow Book Clubbers: Who do you admire? The survivor or the martyr? "It is difficult to be muddleheaded, but lucky" is the Chinese aphorism quoted by Zhisui Li, author of The Private Life of Chairman Mao, to explain his survival by means of ignoring the situation around him when he could and participating in it when he could not, during the 22 years that he was Mao's personal physician. Although most of us could sympathise with anyone's struggle to survive, we noted that Dr. Li not only survived but also lived a much better life than most during this period of upheaval, jaundicing our view of his justifications. However, this same question when applied to Mao's fourth and most political wife, Jiang Qing, former Shanghai actress, produced a much more heated debate. Within a month of Mao's death, she was arrested and imprisoned for life, committing suicide in 1991. Some of us felt very sorry for her as a victim of circumstance, dependent on such an autocratic and dangerous man, becoming a hypochondriac as an expression of her anxieties. Others felt she used her circumstance to gain and misuse power, becoming a vengeful monster. We all agreed that her dilemma was one more example of human nature - with its duality of good and evil - being tempted by power in a system where checks and balances were not in place. Also we all agreed that this book, at 663 pages, was dauntingly long. While many found it too depressing to be able to recommend it to others, some found details about Mao's sexual digressions, shocking hygiene and other personal habits to be quite absorbing reading. Just over half of us felt that it had been a worthwhile selection for the Book club. February's selection, The Glass Palace, written by Amitav Ghosh is readily available in KL bookstores. Happy reading, Kathryn The first meeting of the MCG Book Club, Chapter II, was held at the end of January. The book discussed was The Girl in the Picture by Denise Cheong. Mallika Gardiner furnished us with stimulating questions that led to a lively discussion. A Pulitzer Prize-winning AP photo taken in Vietnam in 1972 of a naked, nine-year-old girl--on fire, running down the street after a napalm attack was a front page many of us remember well. Amazingly, that girl lived after being burned by napalm over 30% of her body. Napalm is a gel that sticks to the skin, burns with intense heat and sucks oxygen from the body. Briefly, this book was written about the life of Kim Phuc, her family and her country, Vietnam. Kim, frequently in pain from her scars, grew up in poverty, was rediscovered by the international press and then the communist government exploited her as a victim of the American involvement. Eventually Kim left Vietnam and is presently living in Canada. The Girl in the Picture gave us interesting insight into what happened to Kim's family during the war, not so much through the victims eyes as we expected but through many peoples viewpoints. It was the story of one family, fairly prosperous, whose way of life was interrupted by war. A story we all agreed could have happened anywhere in the world. It was felt that Denise Cheong, the author, was too detached from Kim Phuc. It was interesting to find out from Mallikaís research that Ms Cheong did not want to write the book and only agreed to after meeting with Kim. To write this story, Ms Cheong interviewed scores of people, researched documents and written accounts. Kim herself didn't seem to remember much of the actual napalm attack and the healing process after. Most of this information seemed to come from her mother, a very strong character in the book. Kim seemed too detached in parts of the book, not sharing much personal information about feelings, relationships, appearing quite distant. One explanation of this was that Ms Cheong didn't feel connected to Kim. Another was that possibly because of Kim's public exposure and her life under communist rule, she had learned not to share her thoughts and feelings with others. Communism suppresses thinking and Kim couldn't change overnight once she arrived in Canada. Another thought about Kim's detachment was that her physical pain had caused her to close off her feelings; always wanting to be positive and smiling. Kim was often in extreme pain from the scars of her burns. The book seemed to portray communism fairly well. Kim's minder gave the impression of the lack of freedom Kim had and the control the government needed to have over her. The section on Kim's life in Cuba was an interesting view of Cuba but it was questioned why so much time was spent on this point of her life when very little seemed to happen. More information on Kim's struggle to gain landed resident status would have been more in keeping with the subject. Religious politics between Caodaism, Christianity and communism were found throughout the book. There were many questions about how Kim, a very devout Caodai, converted so quickly to Christianity. Possibly she became disillusioned with that religion after her life didn't improve in the ways she had hoped it would. Or perhaps the attractive pastor of the Christian church gave her confidence and made her feel better about herself. Kim's mother had taught her not to expect much in relationships due to her scars. It must have been difficult during the teenage years. It was felt that it was very unchristian-like in the way Kim let her mother know that she had converted. Mallika's last question: "if a picture paints a thousand words," does this book do justice to the award winning photograph by Nick Ut? The photo was too emotional and heart-wrenching for the book to do justice to it. While the book explained the story behind the picture--the fluke of Nick Ut being at the right place at the right time to end up with an incredible photo--and gave us an idea about the human side, what happened to the victim in the picture, it was considered "a pale comparison" to the photo. After discussing the physical pain Kim has had to endure for most of her life, and her lack of freedom under communism rule, we were left with a question. Is it a luxury to allow yourself to have emotions and to be free to express them? Our next meeting will take place the 27 February, to discuss the book The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh. Jeanne Hunter
LIBRARY REPORT The MCG library got some very interesting books last month about Malaysia. They are listed below; please feel free to come and borrow them. 1.. Sheppard Mubin - Taman Saujana Dance, Drama, Music.....
From March onwards the Events Planning team have organised a series of lectures about the main religions we encounter in Malaysia. In the library we have a very good collection of books on these topics. Just to let you know, we will start this month with those concerning the deeper understanding of Hinduism and here are some of the titles: Thomas P. - Hindu Religion, Customs and Manners
Renata Greplova BOOKING POLICY FOR EVENTS Events Planning follows a policy of booking places for events on a first
come first served basis. If an event becomes full then a wait list is created
and participants will be informed as soon as possible if a place becomes
available. If for some reason you cannot attend a programme when you have
reserved a place please let the Events Planning Team know as soon as you
can.
Cancellations received within less than 48 hours are only eligible for
a refund if the vacancy can be filled from the wait list or if the person
cancelling can find another member to take their place.
The co-operation of members with the Booking Policy would be appreciated.
PLEASE NOTE that the information in this website has been gathered informally within the group and reproduced privately for members' enjoyment only. There may be inaccuracies and these publications are not designed for commercial use. Anyone intending to make formal or outside use of MCG material is requested to contact the President 
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